Love Song
by Superkoi
Summary: If Gabriella and Troy's love for music had been discovered earlier, how would they've met? How about at East High Music and Arts Academy! R&R, Troyella!
1. New student

Gabriella looked around the hall as she held her schedule tightly. It would surprise no one that she was lost. No one could blame her, though. It was her first day at East High Music and Arts Academy and she couldn't have been more nervous. It was a sleep-away school where the classes were music related. In order to go to this school, you have to submit a form and be chosen to attend. Gabriella was one of the lucky students to be accepted.

Of course this school wasn't just for singers like Gabriella. There were also classes for instrumental, dance, and acting students. As a student, you're allowed to pick two subjects. Most all the students only chose one because the classes and homework are so hectic for only one subject. Gabriella decided to focus on one thing: singing.

She rolled her suitcase behind her as she searched the wall for the correct dorm number.

_345... 346... 347... Oh, here it is. Room number 348. _Gabriella used her key card given to her by the principal to open the door. Once the light on the door lock blinked green, she opened it. She looked around cluelessly and placed her suitcase on the bed that wasn't already taken. It was a small dorm room, but in a cozy way. The beds were in a loft style, making it easy to place a desk and a computer in the area under it. There were also two mini sink areas in the short hall to enter the room, one of which was already occupied with assorted brushes, makeup, and lotions. Obviously, Gabriella had a room-mate. She climbed up on her bed and began to unpack her belongings.

After her clothes, pictures, and toiletries were put away in the place Gabriella wanted them, she re-read her schedule once again.

_Period 1, Chorus; period 2, Voice; period 3, Lunch; period 4, Free Period; period 5, Music 101; period 6, Great Composers of the 1950's; period 7, Advanced Voice Training; period 8, Vocal Development. _

Just then, the door entered again. Gabriella looked over there and in walked an African-American girl about her age. The girl threw her shoes off and crashed on her bed. She smiled and looked up at Gabriella.

"So, you're my new room-mate?" The girl asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Gabriella answered. The girl got up and walked over to Gabriella's loft bed, holding a hand out for her.

"My name's Taylor McKessie." She announced. Gabriella shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Gabriella Montez." Gabriella said.

"Well, do you want to grab some lunch with me? They start serving in about five minutes." Taylor asked. Gabriella smiled.

"Okay, that'll be great." She responded. "You'll have to show me where the Dining Hall is, though. This school is so big!" Taylor laughed and walked towards the door. Gabriella followed.

"Don't worry. In a few days, you'll be doing great here." She encouraged. They left the room, walking down stairs to the dining hall.

* * *

"Where do you want to sit?" Taylor asked Gabriella as they walked into the busy dining hall. Gabriella scanned the room quickly, trying to find an open table.

"How about there?" Gabriella pointed to a small table by the window.

"Sounds great." They both walked over there and claimed the table by placing their purses and sweatshirts down on the chairs. "Do you have your Meal Card?" Gabriella rumaged through her purse quickly and took out the Meal Card she was given earlier that day.

"Yeah... This is it, right?" Gabriella asked, showing Taylor her card.

"That's it. There are about ten different stands here to get food. All you need to do is show them your card." Taylor explained. Gabriella nodded. There were so many things that were different here.

Gabriella got her food and returned to the table where Taylor was waiting.

"Gabriella, this is my friend, Kelsi. I want you to meet her." Taylor said as Gabriella returned to the table and sat down. Kelsi was now sitting at the table, too.

"Nice to meet you, Gabriella." Kelsi said shyly. "You're a singer, right? I'm on student council so I remember seeing your name on the new student form."

"Yeah. What do you do here?" Gabriella asked politely.

"I play piano... And write songs sometimes, too." Kelsi replied softly. Gabriella smiled warmly at her, trying to make her feel comfortable.

The three girls enjoyed their lunch together. Kelsi seemed nice and Gabriella was glad she was making a new friend. This feeling gave Gabriella hope that she would fit in here after all.

* * *

Near the end of lunch, Gabriella decided to go explore the campus some. She left the roughty dining hall and walked down the halls.

Gabriella wasn't used to giant schools with three floors. This was all new and strange to her, something that she would always remember. She walked up the staircase and looked around. In the distance she saw a big display cabinet against the wall. Gabriella walked towards it to see what kinds of awards they were.

_Singer of the Quarter... Sharpay Evans. Actress of the Quarter... Sharpay Evans. Wow, this Sharpay girl must be really good... _Gabriella thought as she read the engraved awards. She continued walking.

Gabriella curiously peeked through a window to look into a studio, where a class was being held. This made her remember that she has a class coming up, something that made her stomach turn. New environments made her uncomfortable.

She made her way further down the hall, peeking into other random studios along the way. When she found a room that was empty, she went inside. Outside next to the door it read 'Studio 4'. It was a large room with a big mirror covering the whole wall.

Suddenly, a woman entered the room. She looked startled when she noticed Gabriella standing there.

"Excuse me, class doesn't start for another 15 minutes." The lady explained to Gabriella, who was looking quite lost.

"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't know this studio was being used." Gabriella stated nervously.

"I am Ms. Darbus, head of the acting classes here at East High Music and Arts Academy." The lady said, in a overly dramatic way.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Darbus. I'm Gabriella Montez." Gabriella said. Ms. Darbus gave her a look mixed with dissaproval and confusion.

"I see..." Ms. Darbus said slowly. "Now, please leave so my class can begin." Gabriella looked down.

"I'm sorry again, Ms. Darbus." She quickly left, making sure that she would stay away from that lady...


	2. Beautiful melodies

As Gabriella exited studio four, she faintly heard a piano playing. It was a beautiful song, too. The music surrounded her ears and swept into her mind. She decided to go look for the piano player. It was definately more fun than going to lunch. Taylor had other friends to sit with, so Gabriella didn't feel too guilty about leaving her at lunch.

She made her way down the halls, walking faster as the music got clearer. Finally, she came to a closed door, the sounds of the piano louder than ever. She pushed open the door slowly and pocked only her head inside. The player was a boy about her age. He had shaggy brown hair and appeared to be tall.

_Wow... He's amazing... _Gabriella thought breathlessly. She took one step closer into the room and the door let out a horrible sounding screech. The boy quickly stopped playing and turned around in his chair to face Gabriella. Her face turned red and she quickly covered her mouth with embarassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She started, getting flustered. "I didn't mean to... You didn't have to..." She looked at the ground, her face redder than before. "You play beautifully."

"Thanks," He replied. "You can come in."

Gabriella walked in cautiously as if someone were about to attack her. He motioned for her to come near the piano with his head as he rearranged his music sheets. She nervously shuffled over to the piano, getting a good look at the boy's clear blue eyes.

"I'm sorry again..." She muttered, as if he hadn't heard her the first time.

"You sing?" He asked, cutting off her ramblings. She was caught off guard by this question.

"What?" She asked stupidly.

"Do you sing?" He asked again, playing the introduction to the song he was playing before. "Is that why you go here?"

"Oh, yes. I study voice." Gabriella answered, watching his fingers dance slowly about the keys to produce a wonderful sounding ballad. He smiled and pushed a copy of the music towards her.

"Here. Sing for me." He said, still playing the intro. Gabriella became flustered again.

"Oh... I couldn't. I mean..."

He made a motion with his head for her to start singing, and before she knew it, she found herself singing the words of a song she'd never heard before.

"_It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see... You were always there beside me..." _The boy starred at Gabriella in amazement.

_So she's beautiful AND sings well... Wow... _The boy thought as he watched Gabriella singing with a smile on her face.

"_Thought I was alone, with no one to hold..." _The boy gave her a smile and joined in.

"_But you were always right beside me, this feeling's like no other... I want you to know..." _Gabriella smiled back as their voices swirled together into harmony.

_He's good at singing too... _She thought.

"_I've never had someone, that knows me like you do... The way you do. I've never had someone as good for me as you... No one like you. So lonely before, I finally found... What I've been lookin' for..." _

The boy ended the song and gave Gabriella another smile.

"Wow... You're _really_ good." He said as he gathered up his music. She flashed him a shy smile and pointed to him.

"You're amazing, too. Are you here for voice or piano?" She asked.

"Both." He answered, standing up.

"Both?" She asked, shocked. "Isn't that a lot of classes?"

"Yeah, but, my parents are so strict. They sent me here to over-achieve, but, truthfully, I just wanna have some fun." He laughed. Gabriella laughed along and nodded knowingly. "So, what's your name?"

"Um, Gabriella." She stated, still nervous. "What's yours?"

"I'm..."

"TROOOOY!" Came a loud, booming voice, cutting off his answer. In walked a pretty blonde girl who was also their age. She smiled widely and walked over to Troy, ignoring Gabriella. "Troy, there you are! You're skipping lunch again to play piano?" She glanced over at Gabriella who was waiting patiently. The blonde girl gave her a snooty look. "Who's your little friend?"

"I'm Gabriella." Gabriella explained, offering the girl her hand to shake.

"I'm Sharpay Evans." She responded, flipping her hair and not shaking Gabriella's hand. "I'm _sure _you've heard of me." Gabriella thought back to when she was looking at the awards on the wall. Two of them had the name 'Sharpay Evans' engraved in it.

"Didn't you win some kind of award here?" Gabriella asked, trying to make the picture in her mind clearer. Sharpay let out a mix between a scoff and a laugh.

"Not just _'some kind of award'." _She corrected rudely. "I won _two _'some kind of awards.' One for singing and one for acting. I'm pretty well-known around here." Gabriella nodded slowly.

"Sharpay," Troy started, realizing that she was making Gabriella uncomfortable. "Why don't I go meet you in the dining hall in five minutes, okay?" Sharpay suddenly changed her face to a sweet one.

"Okay, Troy! See you then!" She walked over to the door. "Bye Gabi!" She left. There was a slight awkward silence after her exit.

"Nice girlfriend." Gabriella said softly, looking at the ground. Troy's eyes widened.

"Girlfriend! Nooooo way!" He laughed slightly and shook his head. "Sharpay is _not _my girlfriend!"

"Oh." Gabriella laughed.

"Well, I better go. Sharpay gets pretty scary when she's mad, and if I'm not in that dining hall in five minutes, I'm dead." Troy smiled, only half jokingly.

"Okay, then. Um, I'll see you later on today then. You take voice, right? Well, that means we'll have a class together later." Gabriella explained.

"I can't wait." Troy smiled. He gathered up his music sheets and walked towards the door. "I'll see you during class, Gabriella." He left the room and she could hear his footsteps getting softer as he made his way down the empty hallway. She smiled to herself as her heart performed loops inside her.

_Troy... _


	3. Just some girl

**A/N: Thanks, everyone, for all the nice reviews! Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Sorry for taking so long, too. I'm trying to write more than one story at a time but you get major writer's block that way. Ugh... Here's the next chapter!**

**A Love Song: Chapter 3**

Later that day, Troy was all Gabriella could think about. She barely knew anything about him, but still felt like she wanted to be with him again. Knowing that Troy would be there made Gabriella less nervous about her first voice class. She headed to her dorm before the class started to get her supplies. Taylor was in the dorm already, reading. This was her free period.

"Hey, where did you go during lunch?" Taylor asked as she heard Gabriella enter the room.

"I just went looking around, getting used to the school." Gabriella answered as she grabbed her journal and stuffed it in her messanger bag.

"Do you like it so far?" Taylor asked.

"I love it. It's so different and big and... Exciting." She told Taylor breathlessly.

"I'm glad you like it. Are you off to your voice class?"

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I better get going. I don't want to be late the first day. See you later." Gabriella exited the room, ready for class.

* * *

Gabriella looked around for Troy as she entered the class room. She didn't see him, but she did see Sharpay. Gabriella didn't want to seem rude, but she groaned silently to herself. Gabriella placed her stuff down on a desk in the second row, still scanning the room for Troy.

The late bell rang and Troy still wasn't there. Gabriella sunk down in her chair slightly. The teacher walked out to the front of the class.

"Hello, students." She started. "My name is Ms. Warner." She was smiling, so Gabriella began thinking she wasn't like Ms. Darbus. "I understand that..." She was inturrupted by the door swinging open, Troy rushing into the classroom and taking a seat in the first row.

"Sorry, Ms. Warner. I was just..." She cut him off with a sigh.

"Better late than never I suppose, Mr. Bolton." She walked towards his desk. "Not a good start for the school year."

"I was just..."

"Off with your friend Chad? I thought so... Walking around the halls during class." She finished for him. Troy opened his mouth in protest, about to say something, but quickly closed it again. "Let's begin..."

Gabriella didn't participate at all, which was unlike her. She kept thinking about Troy...

_What's happening to me? _She asked herself. _Love...? _

Gabriella laughed silently to herself. Of course not... She barely knew him.

When class let out, Gabriella caught up with Troy... Or, tried to. When she got close enough to say hi, a boy with crazy hair would drag him away. She overheard Troy call him 'Chad', realizing then that he was Troy's friend that Ms. Warner mentioned in class.

The rest of the day seemed to fly past, leaving Gabriella completely hypnotized. Finally, at 2:40, school was let out for the day. She practically floated back to her dorm, thoughts of Troy leaving her giddy.

* * *

She found Taylor and Kelsi in their dorm, talking and laughing at the small table in the corner.

"Oh, hey, Gabi," Taylor greeted. Kelsi waved and smiled. Gabriella smiled back.

"Hi..." She said back breathlessly. Taylor and Kelsi exchanged looks of confusion.

"What's up with you?" Taylor asked as Gabriella crashed on her bed. "You seem... dreamy."

"What do you know about Troy Bolton?" She asked, still smiling. Kelsi walked over to Gabriella's bed.

"Troy Bolton?" Kelsi asked. Taylor sighed.

"So you met him?" She asked. Gabriella nodded slowly.

"Is that bad?" She questioned. Taylor laughed unbelieveably.

"He's 'mister popular.' Everyone knows him, loves him, and wants to be him. It gets _really _annoying. It's like people around here can't have a normal conversation without mentioning him. Trust me, you don't want to get involved." Taylor answered, pacing the room in annoyance. Kelsi walked over to her bag and got something out of it.

"He doesn't seem that bad at all. I mean, once you get to know him..." Gabriella protested kindly.

"Here," Kelsi handed Gabriella a small packet of papers. "Like I said before, I'm on student council so I have a profile of all the kids here. This one is Troy's."

Gabriella smiled brightly at Kelsi in thanks as she skimmed the packet. Taylor flashed Kelsi a death glare when she watched Gabriella search happily through the profile. Kelsi just shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

* * *

According to the profile, Troy was staying in dorm number 34 in the boy's hallway. That's exactly where Gabriella was headed.

_Maybe I should go over there and say hello... _Gabriella thought to herself. She shook her head and laughed silently to herself as she re-thought her plan. _He'll probably think that's too creepy. Besides, he's popular and wouldn't talk to a girl like me. _She turned around and started heading back to the staircase. Suddenly, she stopped.

_But he sang with me... _

She longed to hear his beautiful voice again. And to see his sparkling blue eyes...

Gabriella swallowed hard and turned around again, walking to Troy's dorm. _I'm going to do it._

Before Gabriella got to his dorm, she heard someone coming down the hallway. In a slight panic, she faced the wall, hoping to somehow blend into it so they wouldn't see her.

The footsteps got louder and Gabriella turned around slowly to see who it was. She found herself looking at Sharpay walking right by her. Gabriella sighed and smiled at her. It was better to make peace with someone than to have enemies.

"Hi, Sharpay." Gabriella said as she passed. Sharpay stopped and looked right at Gabriella, giving her the 'I'm-way-too-cool-for-you-to-be-talking-to-me' look. She flipped her blonde hair snobbily and continued on her way.

Gabriella looked at the ground and blushed. _That was really rude... _

Ignoring it, she finished walking to Troy's dorm. As she approached his door, she hesitated. _What do I say to him? _Feeling brave, Gabriella knocked sharply.

The guy who Gabriella found out to be Chad answered the door. He looked down at Gabriella oddly.

"Yes?" He asked. Gabriella gave him a small smile as she blushed.

"Uh, hi. Is, um, Troy there?" She slurred out nervously. This earned her an even more odd look from Chad.

"Sure, one second." Chad dissapeared into the room, closing the door behind him. Gabriella waited patiently, hearing every word Chad said to Troy.

"Yeah... There's just some girl out there for you..." Chad called to Troy from inside. Gabriella gave herself a look of sadness and shock.

_Just some girl...? Is that all? _

Troy came out, confused. When he saw Gabriella waiting outside, his whole face lit up.

"Gabriella!" He said excitedly. She smiled.

"Hi. I thought I'd just... come over and say, you know, hello." Gabriella said happily. _He remembered my name... _

"It's great to hear from you." He smiled again. "Sorry I didn't say anything in Music class."

"It's fine." Gabriella assured him.

"Well, um, I was thinking..." Troy started.

_Is he... blushing? _Gabriella asked herself as she watched his expression change from a happy one to a nervous one.

"Would you wanna do something with me on Saturday or something?" He finished. Gabriella couldn't believe what was happening. She started blushing.

"Um, yeah. That would be... great." She said excitedly. His face lit up again.

"Okay, cool. I have somewhere great we can go. I'll come pick you up at 8:00 then." He smiled even wider. _He's so cute when he smiles... _

"That's good. My dorm number is 348." Gabriella told him. He nodded.

"Alright, um, see you then." Troy said as he walked back into the room. Gabriella blushed even more and started walking away.

"Okay... bye!" She called. He waved and smiled nervously, then closed the door. After she heard the door close, she jumped up into the air with excitment and smiled wider than she ever had before.

_He asked me out... Me! Even though I'm 'just some girl.' _

**A/N: I find that line rather funny. It's kind of ironic because in the movie HSM, Gabriella wanted to be 'just some girl'. But in this fic, she wants to be someone else besides just a girl. I don't know why that struck me as funny. I guess it's just me being weird, ha. I'll try to update as soon as possible. **


	4. The perfect night

**A/N: Wow, I haven't updated this story in forever and I'm sorry. I was on vacation, having a good 'ol time. I was also starting yet another fan fic. Jeez, when will it end? Anyway, I've decided to return to this one, cuz my other fics are taking too long for my short attention spand. . **

**A Love Song: Chapter 4**

"A date with Troy Bolton?" Taylor exploded as Gabriella got her hair ready before Troy came to pick her up in 15 minutes.

"He's nice, Taylor. You just don't know him." Gabriella protested calmly as Taylor shook her head unbelieveably.

"Oh, trust me. I know him, Gabriella. I know him. Thanks to all the preppy fan club members talking about him 24/7 in my instrumental class." Taylor walked behind Gabriella who was sitting in a chair in front of a mirror.

"That's not what I mean." Gabriella said as she reached for her brush. "I mean actually having a conversation with him. Not just hearing about him."

"I doubt I would ever _want _to have a conversation with him." Taylor muttered as Gabriella finished her hair and walked over to her closet, deciding which jacket to wear.

"Well, I'm the one on the date, not you." Gabriella reminded her friend as she slipped on her blue jacket. Taylor walked over to Gabriella and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"I just don't want you getting hurt." Taylor explained seriously to Gabriella. She knew better than to let Taylor's words get the best of her, but there was something in the way Taylor said that that made her worried.

"I won't." Gabriella assured Taylor, just as serious as she was.

* * *

"A date with that girl!" Chad exploded just like Taylor when Troy told him about the date. Troy was just about to go pick up Gabriella when Chad started rambling off.

"So what?" Troy asked. "She's a nice, beautiful girl. What's wrong with asking her out?"

"I'll tell you what's wrong." Chad started. "You are a popular guy, Troy. And she's... not. When people start finding out that you two went on a date, things might get bad for your reputation."

"Look, I didn't ask to be popular." Troy retorted. "I'm not going to cancel our date just because of my stupid reputation." Chad stared at Troy for a few moments with a blank expression.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that, Bolton."

"Whatever, man." Troy glanced at his watch. "Well, I gotta go get Gabriella. Try not to hurt yourself while I'm gone."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get all upset though, if you find out this Gabriella girl is nothing but bad news." Chad warned.

Troy let out a slight laugh. "I think I'll survive."

* * *

Gabriella let out a giggle as she covered her eyes with one hand. The other hand was being held by Troy's as he led her outside.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I told you, it's a surprise." Troy laughed, still leading her through the chilly night air. "We're almost there, okay?"

"Alright. Tell me when to open my eyes." Gabriella smiled. After about 3 minutes, Troy stopped leading and he turned her to face something.

"Okay, no peeking yet." Troy told her.

"I'm not." She giggled louder. She could feel Troy shifting around near her then he stopped when he stood next to her.

"Open them... now." Troy stated. Without any hesitation, Gabriella moved her hand from her eyes and looked around. She gave a gasp and her eyes widened as she realized where they were.

They were both leaning against the railing of a beautiful foot bridge, ivy and flowers covering the outside. Underneath them, a stream traveled out into a lake that she could see out in the distance. The sound of the fountain out in the lake gave Gabriella a warm feeling in her heart. The moon's light shone onto the water magnificently, leaving Gabriella breathless.

"Oh, Troy. This is beautiful!" She said, smiling. He smiled back.

"Yeah, it is." He looked at Gabriella. "I come down here a lot during free period. I don't know why, but it gives me inspiration for my songs."

"You write songs?" Gabriella asked.

"That one that we sang together the day we met was one that I wrote." Troy said. Gabriella looked shocked.

"Really? It was so good I thought it was professional."

"Thanks, but I'm not that good yet." He smirked.

"I think it's amazing." She looked at him sideways. He smiled and pushed himself up so he was sitting on the railing. Gabriella joined him. As her legs dangled, she swayed her feet back and forth over the water. As she gazed over the lake again, she felt something on her hand. She looked down to see Troy's hand covering her own. She looked up at his face, but he had his head turned in the other direction, smiling and looking innocent. Gabriella giggled and grabbed his hand so their fingers laced together. Troy looked down at her and smiled brightly.

"So tell me, Gabriella. Do you swim?" He asked with a smirk.

"What?" She asked, caught off guard by his question.

"Do you swim?" He asked again.

"Um... yes. But what does that..." He cut her off by jumping into the lake, making a loud splash. Gabriella looked down at him as she covered her mouth. He came to the surface, looking up at Gabriella and laughing. "Oh, my gosh! Are you allowed to swim in here?" She asked, laughing with him. He shrugged.

"I hope so." He swam out a bit further towards the wide lake. "Come swim with me. The water's nice." Gabriella's eyes widened.

"Swim in the lake?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, c'mon. It'll be fun." He coaxed. She bit her bottom lip nervously.

"I don't know..."

"If you don't, I'll be in here all alone." He said in a fake sad voice, pouting his lip. Gabriella laughed and let out a sigh.

"Okay, why not." She said softly as she took off her jacket to reveal a navy blue spaghetti-strap shirt. She took a deep breath and jumped in after letting out a short, high-pitched squeal. Troy smiled and swam over to where she surfaced.

"There we go." Troy said as Gabriella wiped her eyes and smiled. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I spent all that time getting my hair perfect tonight for this?" She laughed.

"Your hair looks great." Troy laughed back. They swirled around in the water together for a few moments, enjoying the night. Then, Troy started leaning in closer and closer to Gabriella. She felt herself blush madly, but leaned in too. Soon, their lips were touching and the kiss deepened. Troy wrapped his arms around her waist a bit tighter as if to protect her.

The water moved gently around them and the crickets chirped happily in the night. And for a minute, Gabriella even forgot that she hated getting wet.

**A/N: I just love Troyellas, don't you:) I'll try to update soon! **


	5. The lunch from Hell

**A/N: Did I mention how awesomely awesome you reviewers are? Well you are. I really like this story. At first, when I was still planning it, I thought it was going to be a small story to write in my spare time. I was wrong. I love this story so much that my others aren't getting done. Maybe after this chapter I'll take a break... **

**A Love Song: Chapter 5**

After coming back to her dorm room soaking wet, Taylor was convinced this wasn't a normal date.

"Where did he take you? The pool?" She asked as Gabriella got out of the shower later that night. Gabriella laughed and clipped her damp hair up.

"No, not the pool. He took me to that foot bridge near campus. It's beautiful there."

"And you got wet on a bridge?" Taylor questioned again.

"Well, we kinda went in the lake _below _the bridge." Gabriella answered shyly. Taylor's eyes widened.

"You went in the lake? I told you he was trouble, Gabi. I mean, why would you go swimming in a lake?" Taylor exclaimed as Gabriella applied lotion to her hands.

"It was fun, though." Gabriella said happily. "I've never gone swimming on a date before."

"Gabi, look what he's doing to you." Taylor said almost sternly. Gabriella turned around in her chair to face Taylor, looking her in the eye seriously.

"Listen, Tay. I really like Troy and he really likes me. This probably isn't going to be my only date with him. So, as my best friend, I would really appreciate it if you tried to get to know him better or at least was a bit more supportive towards me." Taylor could see that look in her eyes. The look that told her when she was kidding and when she was serious. This time, Gabriella meant what she said with all her heart. And as her best friend, Taylor had to respect that.

"Okay, you're right. I haven't been very 'nice' to him. I guess I'll... get to know him or something." Taylor smiled at Gabriella. "I know it's important to you."

"Thanks, Tay." Gabriella smiled and stood to hug her. "Maybe we can sit together at lunch on Monday."

"Sounds great, Gabi."

* * *

"You jumped in the lake?" Chad asked Troy after he had told him the whole story.

"Yeah." Troy answered as he crashed on his bed.

"In the lake?" Chad repeated.

"Yeah." Troy answered again.

"Why?" Troy laughed at Chad's confusion.

"I just felt like it. Besides, it's not like we got hurt." Troy explained.

"There were a million other things you could've done and you chose to jump in the lake. Wow, man. Just... wow." Chad shook his head slowly.

"C'mon, it was original." Troy pushed.

"No, it was crazy." Chad corrected. "And weird." Troy laughed again as he layed on his bed. Suddenly, his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Troy said as he answered his phone. "Oh, hey... I'm good... Yeah, that sounds fine... Okay, see you then... Bye." He put down his cell phone as Chad stared at him.

"Let me guess... Gabi!" Chad mocked as Troy layed back on his bed.

"Yeah," He answered, ignoring Chad's tone. "She asked if I wanted to sit with her at lunch on Monday."

"Hey, man! You can't do that. Then who'll _I _sit with?" Chad asked. Troy shrugged.

"You have other friends. Hey, why don't you sit with us." Troy offered. Chad gave him a look that was the same as when he watches boring infomercials.

"No, thanks."

"C'mon! She's bringing her friend, too." Troy encouraged. Chad took in a deep breath.

"Fine. But only because I'll have no where else to sit." Chad gave in. Troy smiled.

"Okay then. Monday at lunch." Troy confirmed. Chad nodded and sat on his bed.

"Her friend better be hot." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

Chad, who usually loved lunch time, tried to stall. Troy could tell because when he stopped at his locker, he took a long time to put away his books. Troy gave a sigh and hurried him along, not wanting Gabriella to think he was not coming.

When the boys finally made it downstairs, they sat down with Gabriella and Taylor at a small table near a window. Gabriella stood up when she saw Troy and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Troy, this is my room mate Taylor." Gabriella gestured to Taylor happily. She gave a small wave.

"Nice to meet you." Taylor said in a slightly robotic way. Troy smiled at her.

"You too, Taylor." Troy motioned to Chad, who was standing behind him, trying not to be seen. "And this is my friend Chad."

"Hey." He said plainly as he stepped out next to Troy. His friend gave him a sharp jab in the ribs. Chad let out a silent yelp and shot Troy a death glare. Troy gave him a look that meant, 'Can't you sound more excited?' Chad gave Troy another death glare and turned to face the girls, wearing an overly-happy smile. "Hello, girls! How are you today?" Obviously trying to get Troy annoyed, Chad sounded super cheesy and happy. Troy just let out a groan.

"Chad..." He started, but he cut him off.

"I'm gonna go get some food." And he took off quickly. Troy turned to face the girls, who were now very confused.

"Ignore him. He has major problems beyond anything else." He laughed. "He's kinda... rude." Gabriella giggled.

"It's fine. I'm sure he's just..." Gabriella paused as she looked for a polite word to use. "Nervous."

"Or he's just rude." Taylor suggested plainly. Troy nodded.

"You're probably right." He answered, laughing. "Look, I'll go talk to him." Troy took off after Chad in the dining room. He found his wacky room mate getting a slice of pizza from a lunch line. Troy walked up behind him and waited until they were out of line.

"What was that?" Troy asked sternly. Chad turned to face Troy.

"Pizza." He answered, holding the plate right under Troy's nose.

"No, I mean back there at the table." Troy remarked.

"Listen, eating with those girls isn't exactly something I was looking forward to." Chad explained truthfully.

"Could you at least try? For your best friend?" Troy asked. "Even if you don't like Gabriella, could you please pretend to at least? I'm the one dating her, not you." Chad turned to face Troy again, this time his face serious and not like Chad at all.

"Maybe it's the delicious pizza fumes making me emotional, but I'll try." Chad said, meaning what he said but still sounding forced. Troy gave him a smile of relief.

"Thank you." Chad gave him a 'yeah, yeah, sure, sure' face and walked back to the lunch table, Troy right behind him.

"Chad, I think you have something to say." Troy said as they sat down at the table. Chad faced the girls and smirked.

"I'm sorry for acting _rude." _He over-enunciated the last word, then looked expectantly at Troy. "Is that good?" The girls giggled together.

"Apology accepted, Chad." Gabriella smiled. Taylor smirked and gave Chad a slow head shake.

"Yeah." Taylor added.

The rest of the lunch went pretty well, much to Gabriella and Troy's pleasure. In fact, it seemed like Taylor and Chad even had a lot of fun. Gabriella glanced around the dining hall aimlessly, spotting Sharpay over at another table, glaring almost evilly at her with her other popular friends. This made Gabriella feel uncomfortable so she turned away. But there was something in Sharpay's glare that gave Gabriella the feeling she was going to do something bad... Very bad.

**A/N: Ooh! Cliffhanger, much? Not my best work, but I'm still in vacation mode, so my work may be a teeny bit sloppy. Sorry, guys. I'm doing my best. Don't forget to R&R! Oh, and just a reminder... This story will eventually be a Chaylor, too. Just letting ya'll know... :) **


	6. All because of Sharpay

**A/N: Sorry about the not updating thing. I'm trying my best. This story is so addictive to write! This chapter may be a little short. Sorry! **

**Love Song: Chapter 6**

The next day during free period, Gabriella was on her way to the piano room to meet Troy. Ever since that night on the bridge... their relationship has grown more and more deep. Gabriella has never been happier. Just when Gabriella was about to turn the corner into another hallway, she heard someone call for her from behind.

"Gabriella!" The voice called out. It was none other than Sharpay. This reminded Gabriella of that icy glare she gave her in the dining hall that day. Since there was no one else in the hall, Gabriella had to turn around.

"Hi, Sharpay." Gabriella said softly as the blond diva made her way towards her. "What's up?"

In one swift movement, Sharpay grabbed Gabriella's shoulder and pinned her up against the wall. Sharpay loomed over Gabriella in the most intimidating way, causing Gabriella's aching shoulder to hurt even more.

"Listen, Montez." Sharpay leaned in close to Gabriella. "I don't know what's going on with you and Troy, but I don't like it. You better tell that boy that you're not interested or else you'll be hearing from me. I can make you're life a living Hell if I want."

Gabriella winced and felt tears come to her eyes. Sharpay slammed Gabriella's shoulder into the wall as she took her hand off it. Before she walked away, she smirked darkly at Gabriella, a glint in her eyes, before saying, "Troy will be mine."

Gabriella stayed up against the wall until she heard Sharpay's clicking shoes go down the stair case. Pushing herself off the wall, Gabriella rubbed her bruised shoulder. She raced down the hallway towards the piano room, tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

Sharpay scared Gabriella more than anything. Her icy look, her intimidating voice... Sharpay probably had the whole student body on her side, making it easy for her to make Gabriella's life a living Hell.

She rushed into the piano room and slammed the door behind her, tears still pouring down her face. Troy, who was sitting at the piano, turned when he heard the door slam.

"Gabi, I-" Troy stood up and walked over to the sobbing Gabriella. "Gabriella, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm f-fine." Gabriella forced out. Half of her wanted to spill her guts, but the other half knew Sharpay would kill her if she told Troy about their meeting.

"You don't look fine. Why are you crying?" He asked as he wiped her tears gently with his thumb.

"I'm f-fine, really." Gabriella assured him with a forced smile.

"Hey," Troy took Gabriella's hand and led her next to the piano. "I have something that'll cheer you up. I wrote you a song..."

"You... did?" Gabriella asked after a sniff. Troy nodded and reorganized some music sheets on the piano shelf.

"Yeah. I'll play it for you." He started playing the introduction. It was beautiful, making Gabriella truely smile.

"_We're soarin', flyin'... There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach... If we're tryin', so we're breaking free..." _It was Troy's beautiful voice again. Gabriella hadn't heard it in a while. It made her smile even more.

After the song, Troy stood up and walked over to Gabriella again, noticing her smile. "Well?"

"I love it, Troy." Gabriella answered, some stray tears still falling down her cheeks. Troy smiled back and wrapped Gabriella in a big bear hug. She felt safe in his arms, like nothing can touch her...

'_I can make your life a living Hell if I want...' _

"Troy..." Gabriella started, pushing him away gently. "I have to say something..."

"What is it?" He asked kindly. This only made more tears fall.

"I..." This was the hardest thing Gabriella had ever done. Her heart beated fast and everything inside her was burning. "I have to break up with you..."

Troy's expression completely dropped. It was too hard to look at him so she sobbed harder. "Wait... what?"

"I have to break up with you." Gabriella repeated through sobs. Troy walked closer to her.

"Wait, time out here. Let's just talk about this. Is it something I did? I mean..." Troy tried to reason with her.

"I have to break up with you." She repeated again. It was the only thing she could get out.

"Gabriella, please..." He tried to grab her hand.

_'You better tell that boy you're not interested or else you'll be hearing from me...' _

She pulled her hand away and closed her eyes.

"I don't want to see you anymore!" She yelled. Troy was quiet. The only sound was Gabriella bursting into more tears.

"Gabriella..." Troy said softly. She turned around and ran out the door, Troy calling after her.

She couldn't control her tears, they just kept coming... Her life was turning upside-down. She kept running down the hall, sobbing the whole way. She didn't have Troy to turn to. She felt alone...

Gabriella didn't even notice that she passed Sharpay in the hallway. She was leaning against a wall, watching Gabriella keep running down the hall. A triumphant smirk was planted on her face.

_'Troy will be mine...' _

**A/N: AWWWW! This was so hard to write! But there will be more, so don't get too upset. What an awful way to end a chapter... That evil Sharpay. Review please! **


	7. Another sad song

**A/N: After all that drama in the previous chapter, how could I not write more! Here's the next chapter! A little short, sorry! **

**Love Song: Chapter 7**

"Gabi..." Taylor shook Gabriella's arm gently to wake her up. She was asleep in her bed. "Gabi..." Her eyes fluttered open, still wet from tears. After that day she broke up with Troy, she locked herself up in her dorm, crying herself to sleep.

"Taylor..." Gabriella muttered softly.

"Oh, good. You're awake." Taylor smiled. "Listen, you need to get up and go to class. You've missed two days in a row. I know you're upset about the break up, but try to forget it."

Gabriella sat up in her bed. "I can't forget it if I see him in class. I can never see him again."

"Don't say that. Now c'mon. Get out of bed. I'll make you something to eat." Taylor walked into their small kitchenette. Gabriella sat down at the small table. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

Gabriella inhaled deeply. "_I_ broke up with Troy." Taylor nearly dropped the cereal bowl she got out.

"What? Why?" She asked, amazed.

"I can't tell you, Tay." Gabriella muttered, feeling more tears coming. Taylor walked over to the small table and sat across from her, placing a bowl of cereal in front of Gabriella.

"You can tell me. I promise nothing will leave this room." Taylor gave her friend a reassuring smile. Gabriella sniffed and looked up at Taylor.

"Sharpay threatened me. She made me do it." Gabriella spilled, feeling the tears surround her brown eyes. "She told me to break up with him or else she'd... I dunno. Do something really bad. I got scared and... I just couldn't get Sharpay's words out of my head. She seemed so serious."

Taylor gave Gabriella a sympathetic look. "Oh, Gabi... You shouldn't listen to her. If Troy really cared about you, he'd protect you."

"Well it's too late for that. He'll probably never talk to me again." Gabriella said, twirling the spoon of her cereal around the bowl.

* * *

"Okay, man." Chad said, staring at Troy who was doing his homework in silence. "You've been acting really strange lately. What's going on?" Troy looked up at Chad and half-smiled.

"Nothing."

"And you haven't mentioned Gabriella at all in the last two days. That's gotta be a world record for you." Troy winced at the mention of Gabriella's name. "There's something wrong."

Troy put his pencil down. "Okay, you wanna know?"

"Yes." Chad answered in a 'duh' voice.

"Gabriella broke up with me, happy?"

Chad's expression dropped. "She broke up with you? Details, man." He sat down next to Troy.

"I'd prefer it if we didn't talk about it." He muttered.

"C'mon!" Chad pushed, poking Troy in the leg multiple times. Troy shoved his wacky friend.

"You sound like you're making a joke out of this." Troy said sternly. Chad had never seen him like this. "It's not gonna be like some little event in my life and then I laugh about it later. I mean, Gabriella was... Look, you shouldn't have asked me about it. I think I may have..." He stopped.

"May have what?" Chad asked.

"Loved her..." Troy muttered softly.

"I can't hear you."

"I love her!" Troy yelled. Chad smiled gradually.

"Well you gotta tell her." Troy gave a confused look.

"Hello? Did you forget already? She broke up with me!" Troy reminded him. "I can't tell her I love her."

"I'll make it happen." Chad assured his friend, smiling mischieviously.

* * *

The next day, Gabriella arrived in voice class. She walked in the door, looking around to make sure Troy was late like usual. Her face droppped when she saw him sitting in the front row. She glanced over at Sharpay's seat and saw her 'smiling' at her.

_Just ignore them... _Gabriella told herself.

"Okay, class!" Mrs. Warner announced. "As you know, the 10th annual talent show will take place next week. Anyone who wants to sign up must use the sheet out in the hall."

The whole class floated by, Gabriella felt like she was invisible. She may as well be invisible. No one even glanced at her. She did notice Troy practically staring a whole through his desk the entire class. He was usually so... happy.

_Look what I've done to him... _

When the bell rang, Gabriella collected all her things and rushed out the door so she wouldn't run into Troy or Sharpay. As Gabriella went through the door, something came to her.

_I couldn't do it... _

She stopped at the talent show sign up sheet, took out a pen and wrote her name.

_But I have to try. _

"Oh, Gabriella!" Sharpay exclaimed as she walked over to her. "You're signing up for the talent show, too?" With that, Sharpay grabbed Gabriella's pen out of her hands and scribbled down her outragously large signature. "By the way," Sharpay started walking away. "You did the right thing."

Gabriella had a deep feeling that she was talking about Troy. Suddenly, Gabriella felt something change inside her. She remembered all the things Sharpay had done to her. A determinded look spread across her face.

_I'm gonna do it... I'm gonna get Troy back. _

**A/N: Not my best work, but oh well. I'm kinda hooked on my other story so this one is second important right now. Hope you still enjoyed it. **


	8. Realizing what love is

**A/N: Sorry about not updating again. Busy, busy, busy. Here's another chapter. **

**Love Song: Chapter 8 **

Taylor sat dismally on a bench in the small court yard of the school. With Gabriella being down, it was hard for Taylor to keep a positive attitude about things. She had to admit, Gabriella was getting better about the break up. Maybe things won't be so bad after a little more time...

"Hey," A voice started from behind Taylor. She turned around to see Chad standing next to her. "Can I sit down?" Taylor nodded. He placed his books down next to him and sat.

"Is there something you needed?" She asked, not knowing why he showed up.

"Kind of," Chad began, searching for a way to put this. "You see, I'm basically here because of Troy."

"Oh, so he told you." Taylor asked.

"Barely. He didn't want to talk about it that much. Anyway, he did tell me something about Gabriella and I need you to tell her it's from Troy." Chad explained.

"What is it?" She asked. "Why can't _you_ tell her it's from Troy?"

"You know her better." Chad turned in his seat to face Taylor. "Okay, Troy loves Gabriella. Like, _loves _her."

"Love?" Taylor repeated. Chad nodded. Then, Taylor remembered her talk with Gabriella. The way she cried... Gabriella must love him, too. "Chad, she loves him, too. I know it."

"This makes things so much easier." Chad breathed. "Then why did she break up with him?"

Not thinking, Taylor answered. "Sharpay threatened Gabriella and you know how scary she can get." After saying this, Taylor remembered that Gabriella told her not to tell anyone... "Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that." She covered her mouth.

"Sharpay threatened her?" Chad asked. "That is so wrong! Why would she do that?"

"To get Troy all to herself."

"We can't let that happen." Chad said, determined.

"Let's protect our friends." Taylor added, smiling. They both got up and walked together back inside.

_Maybe I was wrong about Chad... _

* * *

"Hey, man!" Chad said as he came into the dorm room, seeing Troy at his piano keyboard and drawing notes onto music paper.

"Hey." Troy said plainly.

"So, the talent show is tomorrow night, you going?" Chad asked, lying on his bed.

"Maybe." Troy said, not looking up from his music.

"Everyone'll be there." Chad pushed.

"Do you want me to go?" Troy asked.

"Well, yeah." Chad answered, laughing slightly.

"Then I'll go. It's not a big deal." Troy finally looked up at Chad. "Hey, have you seen my song that I wrote for Gabriella? I keep it in a blue folder. I haven't seen it since piano class..."

"Need help burning it?" Chad laughed. Troy shot him a death glare and he stopped. "Sorry."

"It's a good song of mine... even if it does remind me of Gabi..." Chad gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hey, let's go get some food. I'm starving." Chad grabbed Troy's arm and yanked him out of the room.

* * *

Chad and Troy sat down at a cafeteria table after getting food. Chad bought pizza and Troy got a bottle of water, claiming he wasn't hungry.

"Listen, dude." Chad inhaled. "I gotta tell you something important. But you have to pretend you _don't know." _Troy gave a confused look.

"Then why tell me?"

"It's important." Chad glanced over at Sharpay's table. "I know why Gabriella broke up with you."

"Okay," Troy sighed. "I don't want to talk about that..."

"Sharpay threatened her into breaking up with you."

"WHAT?" A few people glanced over at Troy from his outburst.

"It's true. Taylor told me. But you can't let anyone know." Chad reminded him. Unfortunately, his words flew right past Troy's ears and he stood up.

"I can't believe her!" Troy whispered angrily. He walked towards the door when Sharpay walked past him, her half-eaten lunch on a tray as she took it to the trash can.

"Hi, Troy." She greeted flirtatiously. Troy turned to face her, eyes full of rage.

"Sharpay, you can forget about me. I love Gabriella." With that, Troy left the cafeteria.

**A/N: Kinda short, but oh well. The next chapter is the last one! Wow! It'll be great! (You go, Troy!) **


	9. Happy endings

**A/N: Last chapter! Oh no! At least now I'll be able to focus on some new stories. . **

**Love Song: Chapter 9**

There was something inside Troy as he sat down in the auditorium on the night of the talent show. He couldn't really explain it, but he knew it had to do with Gabriella. He glanced around the room but coudn't find her.

_Maybe she didn't come... _

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to welcome you to the 10th annual East High Music and Arts Academy talent show. Tonight, your very own class mates will perform a song or skit for your entertainment. Now, without further ado, let's begin."

Everyone clapped as the principal left backstage. The bright red, satin curtains on the stage opened and the first act began. Troy wasn't really paying attention. He had too much on his mind to listen, let alone even stay awake.

As he was falling asleep, Sharpay walked on stage after the eigth act. She held the microphone and smiled.

"I would like to dedicate my performance to Troy Bolton." She pointed out into the audience. Troy had a look of confusion and desgust. One of Sharpay's friends (slaves) came onto the stage in a sparkly blue dress that matched hers. The music started and they began singing.

_I believe in dreamin', shooting for the stars_

_Baby, to be number one you've got to raise the bars_

_Kickin' and a scratchin', grinding out my best _

_Anything it takes to climb the ladder of success _

_Work our tails off every day_

_Gotta bump the competition, blow them all away_

_Yeah, we're gonna bop bop bop, bop to the top _

_Slip and slide and ride that rhythm_

_Jump and hop, hop till we drop _

_And start again _

_Zip zap zop, pop like a mop _

_Scoot around the corner _

_Move it to the groove till the music stops_

_Do the bop bop, bop to the top _

_Don't ever stop _

_Bop to the top _

_Gimmie, gimmie_

_Shimmy, shimmy_

_Shake some booty and turn around _

_Flash a smile in their direction_

_Show some muscle_

_Do the the hustle_

_Yeah, we're gonna bop bop bop_

_Bop to the top _

_Wipe away your inhibitions_

_Stomp stomp stomp do the rump _

_A strut your stuff _

_Bop bop bop _

_Straight to the top _

_Going for the glory _

_We'll keep stepping up _

_And we just won't stop... _

_Till we reach the top_

_Bop to the top! _

People were clapping, only because they had to. They were good, but 'over done'. They happily ran off stage, squealing with delight. When the clapping died down, the spot light shown on the final contestant. She mildly walked up to the microphone and spoke softly, her face red from embarressment.

"Troy?" She spoke. "Are you here?" Troy shot his head up. It was Gabriella's voice. "Troy Bolton?" He was confused by this. Wondering, he stood up. She smiled.

"I made a mistake. A big one. I shouldn't have let anything get in the way of us. I'm sorry." Gabriella held something up. It looked like a yellow folder... "If you want to, I'd like you to sing with me. It's not really a duet with one person." Troy smiled and ran up on stage.

"You don't have to apologize. I know what Sharpay did." Troy whispered. Gabriella smiled.

"So will you give me another chance?" She asked.

"Of course." Troy grabbed her hands. "How did you get my music?" He recognized the yellow folder as the one he used to store the song he wrote for Gabriella.

"Kelsi's in your piano class. I asked her to take it while you weren't looking so we could practice it together." Just then, Kelsi walked on stage to the piano, taking the music on her way over there. Gabriella flashed Kelsi a 'thank you' smile and gave her the cue to start playing. The introduction was beautiful, it was hard to believe that Troy wrote something so... professional. They gazed into eachother's eyes until it was time for Troy to start singing.

_We're soarin', flyin' _

_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach _

_If we're tryin' so we're breakin' free _

_You know the world can see us_

_In a way that's different than who we are_

_Creating space between us till we're separate hearts _

_But your faith it gives me strength _

_Strength to believe... _

_We're breakin' free! _

_Soarin', flyin' _

_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach _

_If we're tryin' so we're breakin' free _

_Can you feel it building_

_Like a wave the ocean just can't control _

_Connected by a feelin', ooh, in our very soul (very soul, ooh) _

_Raising till we reach the top so everyone can see _

_We're breakin' free! _

_Soarin', flyin' _

_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach _

_If we're tryin' so we're breakin' free _

_Ooh, runnin' _

_Climbin' _

_To get to that place to be all that we can be _

_Now's the time _

_So we're breakin' free (we're breakin' free) _

_More than hope, more than faith _

_This is true, this is fate _

_And together we see it comin' _

_More than you, more than me _

_Not a want, but a need _

_Both of us breakin' free! _

_Soarin', flyin' _

_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach _

_If we're tryin' _

_Yeah, we're breakin' free (breakin' free) _

_We're runnin' _

_Ooh, climbin' _

_To get to that place to be all that we can be _

_Now's the time (now's the time) _

_So we're breakin' free _

_Oh, we're breakin' free (ohh) _

_You know the world can see us_

_In a way that's different than who we are... _

The entire auditorium was filled with clapping, cheering, and yelling. Gabriella gave Troy a sweet smile.

"I love you." He said over top of everyone else. Gabriella felt her heart dance.

"I love you, too."

They kissed as the whole audience continued to cheer. Chad and Taylor stood up and clapped. Gabriella's years at this school won't be so bad after all.

Not bad at all...

**A/N: Hoorah! I love happy endings! What a sweet story. I'm proud of myself. :) This isn't the end forever though. I'm gonna start a sequel soon! So look forward to that! **


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